Conveyor systems are an integral part of modem production facilities. Such systems are especially beneficial in the food processing and article packaging industries, where it is often desirable to move articles to and from different areas of the production facility to undergo various manufacturing/packaging operations. For example, many food manufactures require transportation of food items from a baking area to a position for final packaging. However, many of these items, such as breads and other baked goods require cooling prior to packaging. Additionally, these food products are often soft and fragile, thereby requiring special care during transportation through the production facility to avoid damage.
In this regard, conveyor chains with rows of laterally repeating modular links create a substantially closed conveying surface are perhaps the most popular on the market today. Such a closed surface does not, however, allow the maximum amount of airflow to reach the underside of the articles being conveyed, which can be deleterious for items such as baked goods being packaged at a downstream location. Moreover, the closed surface also hinders the ability of dislocated crumbs or bits of debris to pass through the conveyor chain for collection, such to an underguard assembly (see, e.g., commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,529 to Layne et al.) or to the floor for sweeping away.
In an attempt to remedy this problem, others have proposed chain conveyors with a pair of transverse rods extending the entire width of the conveyor chain between each corresponding pair of side links. An example is shown in FIG. 1. Although the conveying surface is indeed open, the spacing of the transverse rods may not provide adequate support for smaller items being conveyed.
Additionally, many production facilities also have limited floor space, thereby making efficient use of the space available imperative. Thus, manufacturers are increasingly desirous of conveyor systems occupying as small an area as possible. To do so, the conveyor chain must have the capability to move product smoothly around curves, as well as along extended runs.
Accordingly, a need is identified for a conveyor chain with a substantially open conveying surface capable of providing full support for any articles being conveyed, including smaller ones that might normally pass through or become caught within an open conveying surface created by spaced connectors associated with adjacent rows of links. The conveyor chain would also be capable of negotiating turns or bends, and thus would allow for a possible savings in the amount of floor space occupied in the production facility. Overall, a substantial improvement in terms of efficiency and operator satisfaction would result, especially when used in conveyed baked goods.